A variation of death metal, also known as "Melodeath." Bands in this genre seem to have borrowed many of the traits of thrash, and combined them with classical death metal. For instance, these bands tend to have longer songs, more guitar melody/solos, and much more diverse lyrics. Blast beats are used, but not quite as often as they are in the more classical style of death metal. Vocals tend to be a mixture of the higher black-metal-style growls and the lower death-metal-style ones. Some of the newer bands have even been making limited use use of clean vocals (i.e., Profane Omen, Absence, Chimaira). As far as the mood...this style tends to be a lot less doomy than black metal (i.e., more lively, and not so depressing).

It can be argued that this style began with the band Carcass and their release of the album called "Heartwork." Carcass was originally more of a Grindcore-type band, but slowly refined their style, and progressed into a more and more melodic form of metal, until "melodic death metal" or "melodeath" was born. Since then, hundreds of bands have come about exhibiting many of the same qualities, such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, Fear My Thoughts, Shadow, Light This City, The Autumn Offering, etc.

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A variation on death metal, also known as "Melodeath." Bands in this genre seem to have borrowed many of the traits of thrash, and combined them with classical death metal. For instance, these bands tend to have longer songs, more guitar melody/solos, and much more diverse lyrics. Blast beats are used, but not quite as often as they are in the more classical style of death metal. Vocals tend to be a mixture of the higher black-metal-style growls and the lower death-metal-style ones. Some of the newer bands have even been making limited use use of clean vocals (i.e., Profane Omen, Absence, Chimaira). As far as the mood...this style tends to be a lot less doomy than black metal (i.e., more lively, and not so depressing).

It can be argued that this style began with the band Carcass and their release of the album called "Heartwork." Carcass was originally more of a Grindcore-type band, but slowly refined their style, and progressed into a more and more melodic form of metal, until "melodic death metal" or "melodeath" was born. Since then, hundreds of bands have come about exhibiting many of the same qualities, such as In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Arch Enemy, Fear My Thoughts, Shadow, Light This City, The Autumn Offering, etc.

Melodic death metal is basically all the aggression and brutality of death metal, but will include melodic riffs, guitar harmonies, sung vocals as well as scream/roar vocals (which are also more inteligable than standard death metal vocals) and slower solo's that aren't always pure shred among other defining points.

Quite possibly THE best genre of metal.

Melodic death metal? Try In Flames, Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Dark Tranquility and Soilwork man.

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A musical sub genre of death metal, which in turn is also a sub genre of metal as a whole. It started during the early 90's, and began to really take off by the mid 90's, when many pioneering bands of the style would release some of their best work. Many credit Carcass as the band that invented this style, and various bands from Sweden (In Flames, Dark Tranquility, At the Gates) would be credited as pioneers of the "Gothenberg sound", which came to be dominant in the genre later on.

Melodic death metal can best be described as a mixture of the melody/progression from NWOBHM and thrash metal bands, and the sheer brutality of traditional death metal. Vocals are usually growled/shrieked, but clean vocals are used as well. Lots of guitar harmonies are used, along with aggressive riffs and drumming. There is even use of acoustic guitar as well. Sheer ass-kickery at it's finest!

In the early 2000's and more recent years, this style would greatly influence many American metalcore bands. The style has continued to develop in Europe as well.

In Flames, Dark Tranquility, At the Gates, Arch Enemy, Kalmah - all great melodic death metal bands!

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Possibly one of the greatest Sub-Genres in all of Heavy Metal. It combines the brutality, low guitar and bass tunings, complex and fast drumming, guttural vocals (while usually higher pitched than in normal Death Metal) with focus more on melody and harmony more than brutality. Electric guitars typically have complex rhythm, structure and riffs to them and combine low riffing, palm muting and power chords with "mini-solo" like parts that involve higher notes and odd note groupings. The genre started in the early 90's and has spanned from there. Some great/notable bands including a song are:
Carcass: Heartwork
Arch Enemy: Bury Me An Angel
In Flames: Jester's Script Transfigured
Dark Tranquility: Punish My Heaven
At The Gates: The Swarm
Dethklok: Laser Cannon Deth Sentence
Children Of Bodom: Every Time I Die
Amon Amarth: War Of The Gods
The Duskfall: Shoot It In
Callenish Circle: Suffer My Disbelief

Hey wanna go see Arch Enemy? Michael Amott is the master of Melodic Death Metal!
Melodic Death Metal bands are so talented.